Situating Fixed Tools in New Shop

[SteveHGraham]

This is a sad day. I didn't get the house. The story is too weird not to tell.

The owners bought it several years ago, at the bottom of the market. They paid $725K for it. Now they want $689K. Problem: it appraised for $580K. They can't believe it. They think the appraisal is wrong. They won't even give a counteroffer.

They probably should have paid about $400K for it. I can't figure out how they could have been so stupid. My best guess is that they're using the same realtor who sold them the place, and he is trying to convince them he didn't let them get cheated. They'll get over that after the farm has been listed for a year.

I'm bummed out because the farm was beautiful, and it was a complete turn-key situation. They even had unused farm machinery waiting for a buyer.

On the up side, I have two new prospects, and with a little work, they will probably be even better.

[NP317]

Since this potential purchase did not come through, it's best to assume that there is a better deal out there waiting for you.
That's the ways my life has unfolded.
Still, the feeling of disappointment is real.
~RN

[warmstrong1955]

Since this potential purchase did not come through, it's best to assume that there is a better deal out there waiting for you.
That's the ways my life has unfolded.
Still, the feeling of disappointment is real.
~RN

We moved into a house north of Denver some years back. Rental, with the plan being the owner would sell it to us in a few months.
Change of plan. He decided not to sell, and more than doubled the rent.
Bought another place, and moved a month later.
Two weeks after we moved, tornadoes, and one got that place we were in. Half of the house & the shop were still intact...maybe less....

Agree with RN. Things work out one way or another!


Bill

[SteveHGraham]

Not sure how you arranged for that tornado.

The farm I wanted to buy was very nice, but it was not nice for the price. That about sums it up.

I hate being delayed on my exodus from Miami. This place is horrible. But now I have an opportunity to consider new options.

I'm wondering if I was thinking too small. I was looking at ten acres. Maybe I should go bigger and look for land that has a profitable use.

The Ocala area is in trouble because the Internet and casinos killed the horse-racing industry. People are finding alternative ways to make money. Things like mushroom and blueberry farming. Maybe I should get a bigger place with an eye toward putting the land to work or subdividing.

There are a lot of nice properties available in northern Florida, but the bigger and nicer they are (within my price range), the farther they are from civilization. I don't know if I want to be half an hour from the nearest supermarket.

Anyway, things will work out.

[LIALLEGHENY]

Steve,

Something better will come along, just be positive. I don't know if you have ever looked, but go to Google and check out a sinkhole map of Florida....Ocala happens to be in one of the worst areas of Florida.....so it is probably a god idea to stay away from there anyway.

Nyle

[larry_g]

. Things like mushroom and blueberry farming. Maybe I should get a bigger place with an eye toward putting the land to work or subdividing.

There are a lot of nice properties available in northern Florida, but the bigger and nicer they are (within my price range), the farther they are from civilization. I don't know if I want to be half an hour from the nearest supermarket.

Anyway, things will work out.

It's a lot of work to own a farm. I'm reminded of the reply from the first $1M lottery winner here in OR. When asked what he was going to do with the money his reply was "I going to continue farming till it's all gone."

As far as being far from civilization, you make that sound bad... Life in the country is a lifestyle, not suited for all.

lg
no neat sig line

[NP317]

I would seek property above the coming higher sea levels.
Just saying'.
~RN

[SteveHGraham]

As far as being far from civilization, you make that sound bad... Life in the country is a lifestyle, not suited for all.

I have a couple of issues with it. First of all, I'm absent-minded, and it would be really annoying to drive an hour and then come home and find out I forgot one item from my shopping list. Second, my dad will be with me. He's 85, and he has vascular dementia. If we're not too far from shops and diners and so on, he may be able to retain a little independence a while longer. Also, I don't want to be too far from emergency responders and a good hospital.

I've lived in a fairly remote area in Eastern Kentucky. I thought it was fine. I'm kind of spoiled now, though. Five minutes to CVS!

Amazon Prime is making the world smaller. It will be a big asset when I'm sitting on a rural property.

[SteveHGraham]

"LIALLEGHENY" I don't know if you have ever looked, but go to Google and check out a sinkhole map of Florida....Ocala happens to be in one of the worst areas of Florida.....so it is probably a god idea to stay away from there anyway.

One of the properties I looked at had a suspicious hole. It was suspicious because the opening was around a foot in diameter, but when I looked down into the hole, it looked like it was a whole lot wider below the surface. That's not how normal holes act!

Marion County has all sorts of positives that are not possible to equal elsewhere in Florida. I don't want my house to fall into a hole, but I think the pluses outweigh the risk. It's a better cultural fit for me. Also, the Hispanic population is about 6% (not 75%), so I won't feel like I'm trapped in a foreign country all the time. People there speak English. People in Dade County refuse to learn English, and it gives them a big economic and social advantage over the rest of us. Tiresome.

I considered the Pensacola area, but there aren't many desirable properties, and God help you if you live there and you need to travel. I will still have business in South Florida for some time, and the driving distance is almost 700 miles.

[warmstrong1955]

We live out of town about 7 miles. Works for us, and we like it that way.
So....15 minutes to Walmart, groceries, hardware, or auto parts stores. We do have a lumberyard, but a trip to Lowes or Home Depot....125 miles, one way.
Yeah....gotta love the Amazonians, among other places to buy online. Just ordered some parts for the barbecue, and mower blades for the garden tractor yesterday. Let your fingers do the walking....

I assume the situation with your Dad makes that different for you.

Bill

[SteveHGraham]

Dementia is a strange thing. He is still a safe driver, which is odd, but he can only make short trips. Last year he took off for the dentist with a Mapquest printout, and he was gone for about four and a half hours. Of course, he had been to the same dentist many times in the past. I started calling hospitals. I got him a simple smartphone so he would have a GPS app that would help me find him, but he can't learn how to use the phone, so now I have to come up with something else.

It may not be realistic to think he would be able to make short trips in a new location, but I think staying fairly close to medical providers is important. And if I'm the one driving him around, I don't want excessively long trips.

[larry_g]

As far as being far from civilization, you make that sound bad... Life in the country is a lifestyle, not suited for all.

Second, my dad will be with me. He's 85, and he has vascular dementia. If we're not too far from shops and diners and so on, he may be able to retain a little independence a while longer. Also, I don't want to be too far from emergency responders and a good hospital..

Steve, I will say a prayer for you here. I had my demented father with us for the last 4 years of his life. It is a hard road to walk, get all the help you can for both yourself and your father. One of the hardest things to do for me was to move from the 'good son' to the caregiver making the decisions. The best piece of advise I received was "Live in his reality." If he was seeing workers out in the field who were not there, I did not correct him, just ask what they were doing.

lg
no neat sig line